SHEEP. 331 



well. The thrifty owner has his sheep out of the corral and upon the plains by daylight. 

 They feed until about ten o clock, and then bunch up, or form a compact mass, until four 

 o clock, and from then they feed until driven in at dark. They eat gramma, buffalo, wire* 

 and bunch grass. Wild hay is cut and stacked for feeding in winter, so that they may 

 not want for food should there be a heavy fall of snow. The herders generally have horses 

 of their own, which subsist on prairie grass, are very much attached to their owners, and 

 become wonderfully skilled in managing sheep. Give them the rein and they will gather in 

 and keep the flock together with as much dexterity as the shepherd s dog who accompanies 

 them. The dog is an essential part of the outfit, being a companion to his owner, and exer 

 cising a constant vigilance for the safety of the flock. Herder, horse, dog, and sheep together 

 make a very picturesque appearance as they move over the plains. 



The flocks, comprising Mexican sheep and their increase from Merino bucks, generally 

 number from 1,000 to 3,000. During the winter the larger flocks are generally divided in 

 order to insure better feeding and better protection. One herder can readily manage 2,500 

 sheep, but he has to have his wits about him constantly. The leader of the flock is gener 

 ally a Mexican goat, whose prowess is recognized by the whole herd, and whose prominent 

 figure enables him to be easily seen both by the sheep and the herder. The leader in the 

 ranch we visited was the famous stag &amp;lt; Christo. This venerable goat has a history. He was 

 brought from New Mexico many years ago, has been a leader for several different flocks, and 

 now in his old age, .though so decrepit as to travel at times with difficulty, has no idea of 

 surrendering his leadership, but is invariably found at the front when necessary. The whole 

 expression of his countenance, his dignified bearing, even his walk and the firm manner in 

 which he plants his front feet, indicate that he realizes his responsibility and feels his import 

 ance. Old Christo shows an intelligence at times which is little less than human. For 

 example, he snuffs the approach of wolves from afar, and often, when the unsuspecting sheep 

 and lambs about him are sleeping in fancied security, he wakes the ranchman to make known 

 the approach of the enemy. When no herders were sleeping with the sheep, he has recently, 

 upon two occasions, taken the entire flock around the ranchman s house in the middle of the 

 night to arouse him and secure protection from the advancing wolves. Christo, who is 

 twenty-four years of age, will probably be gathered to his fathers soon, and he has so 

 strong a hold upon the affections of his present owner that he will be buried with due 

 honors. 



The Mexican sheep, as a general thing, are purchased about the first of October. The 

 bucks are turned in with them in December, and the lambing season begins about the middle 

 of May. Shearing begins about the first of June. The Mexican sheep shear from two to 

 four pounds, and improved sheep from four to eight pounds. Of course there are exceptions; 

 for example: The Willard Brothers, at their shearing match last year, clipped thirty-two 

 and one half pounds of wool from one Vermont ram, which brought twenty cents a pound. 

 In shearing sheep great care must be exercised not to begin too early, on account of late 

 storms. The shearers are paid from five to eight cents a sheep for their work. One man 

 can shear from twenty to seventy sheep in a day. Mexican wool brought last year from six 

 teen to twenty cents a pound (prices were much less this year), according to the absence 

 or presence of kernp, a hairy, valueless substance. As sheep improve, the quantity of kemp 

 gradually diminishes. The fleece of the native Mexican sheep is a coarse carpet wool, but as 

 the flocks are improved by the introduction of Merino bucks the quality of the wool is im 

 proved, until many of the ranchmen now claim that it is fully as good as that grown in the 

 Eastern States. They further maintain that when their improved sheep become disassociated 

 in the public mind from the native Mexicans, their wool will justly command as good a price 

 as is paid for Eastern fleece. Owing to the scarcity of water, sheep are rarely washed in 

 Colorado.&quot; 



There are many attractions in the wild life of the ranchmen, and but few prettier sights are 



